‘This is getting ridiculous!’ James Cleverly blasts Labour for ‘criminalising voices they don’t like’ as woman is jailed over Facebook post

Tory leadership hopeful James Cleverly is fearful of the precedent set by Labour when it comes to jailing people for social media posts.

It comes after a woman who called on Facebook to “be blown up with the adults inside” was jailed for 15 months.

Speaking on GB News, Cleverly said Labour need to be “careful” they are not overstepping the mark.

“This is getting ridiculous”, he fumed.

“Incitement is a serious issue, but this overall trend we are seeing from the Labour government of criminalising voices they don’t like, we have got to be very careful.

“I am deeply uncomfortable with it.”

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Julie Sweeney, 53, of Cheshire, admitted to a charge of sending a communication threatening death or serious harm.

She posted the comment after riots broke out across England in the wake of the killings of three young girls in Southport, last month.

The court was told Sweeney wrote: "It’s absolutely ridiculous. Don’t protect the mosque. Blow the mosque up with the adults in it."

The ex-Home Secretary went on to speak about the state of policing in the country, amid fears they are targeting certain groups more than others.

He told Camilla Tominey the police need to deal with people “completely fairly”.

“I was on the Metropolitan Police authority when I was first elected. I was responsible for kicking corrupt officers out of the Met and sending some to prison”, he said.

“We need to go back to first principles. Police need to stop being scared of being accused of politicising their decisions.

“They need to police completely fairly. Whether you’re black, white, gay, straight or whatever.

“That is a cornerstone of confidence in British policing. They also need to focus on crimes that affect people’s everyday lives.

“When I was Home Secretary I made it absolutely clear they would pursue all reasonable lines of inquiry.

“They were to crack down on shoplifting. This idea of a £200 limit, get rid of that. If you don’t crack down on small crimes, those criminals get more severe and then you have a problem.”